oliver



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

F. E. OLIVER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMBINED PAPER-CUTTER AND RULE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 31,556, dated February 26, 1861.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, F. E. OLIVER, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a Combined Paper-Cutter and Rule, the same forming a new and useful art-icle of manufacture and instrument or implement of a character never before known or used; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which forms partJ of this specification, is such a full and clear description of my invention as to enable others to make and use the same.

In banks and private or public oflices and other places or establishments, where the paper cutter or tearer and round rule or ruler are, if not indispensable, at least most convenient appendages to the desk or table, it is no small annoyance, when requiring to use first the one of these devices and then the other (as for instance in ruling and tearing off bank checks or drafts), to find that on laying down the one to take up the other the latter is not to be found or difficult of reach without moving from one place to another. This involves loss of time, which in business is important. Such however is not the only annoyance or inconvenience which attaches to the use of these devices as they are ordinarily constructed and as separate implements or articles. The ordinary paper cutter or tearer is simply a fiat sheet or blade of tin, hard rubber or other suitable material, made very thin and usually of oblong form, with its edges straight and its ends or one of them of irregular shape with an aperture through it to facilitate handling of the art-icle or for suspending it on a nail or other projection. Such form or construction does not present a ready surface for taking up off a table or desk said cutter with despatch and it being but a thin flat strip it not unfrequently gets mixed up with and under papers on the desk so that when wanted the same is difficult to be found. Likewise as regards the round rule or ruler, which in avoiding blotting or blurring and forming a more eligible guiding surface for the pen than is the case with a thick flat ruler; said ruler which is ordinarily constructed of wood or rubber, is not only liable to roll olf the desk by reason of the usual inclined surface of the latter, so that when laying down the ruler it is diiiicult to locate it with certainty as to its remaining where placed, but also, when using said ruler, there is great risk of it shifting or moving from the position in which it is set by reason of its rounded configuration not presenting a. firm or steady bearing on the paper or book. All of lthese objections, annoyances or inconveniences are avoided by my novel combination of flat paper cutter with a round or raised and rounded edge ruler in the one implement, and certain advantages obtained or capable of being obtained by it, which are not incidental to the two devices separately considered.

Referring to the accompanying drawino', Figures l and 2 represent two forms, in perspective, of my paper cutter and round edged ruler combined; Fig. 3 a longitudinal section through the ruler portion of the implement as shown in Fig. l; and Fig. t a transverse section of the same in direction of the line o, cl, in Fig. l.

In the figures, A denotes the paper cutter' which may be made of metal plain or japanned, hard rubber' or any other suitable material and of any desired length and width, the same constituting a thin and flat blade or strip the one edge (a) of which serves as the guiding and cutting surface by tearing the paper along it as well understood. The ends of said strip or cutter may be either straight or of irregular form, as shown in Figs. l and 2, but I prefer to make them straight as consuming less metal and labor. Holes (Z2) may be made near either or both of their ends, or in the middle of the strip, to provide for hanging it up when not in use. On the opposite edge of said strip to that which forms the cutting surface, I arrange the raised and round edged ruler (B) which may either be separately attached to the strip or be formed out of it by turning or bending the edge over as shown in Figs. l, 2 and 4. Said ruler may be made of any suitable material. I prefer that it should project above only the one side or flat surface of the cutting strip so that the lat-ter may lie flat on the paper it is used to tear or cut. Vhatever the configuration of the upper or inside edge of said ruler, its outside edge or surface which guides the pen and is the ruling edge should be rounded. In this way I combine a "thin paper cutter' and thick round or round-edged ruler in the one implement, whereby both of these devices may be used alternately or in succession with despatch, the round or round edged ruler is restrained by the flat strip to which it is attached or of which it forms part from rolling olf the desk or out of place, and when set to rule a line is held steady to its place by the Hat strip; also whereby the raised portion which forms the ruler serves as a handle to facilitate the lifting of the paper cutter from the desk and makes it less liable to be concealed by papers on the desk. But valuable as is such a combination,this is not or need not be all. Thus, the ruler portion (B) of the implement, may, if preferred, instead of being made solid, be formed hollow, as shown in the drawing, so as to constitute a. receptacle for paper in small roll or for pencil or pen or all of these. As a pen or pencil depository it will be found very convenient and to prevent injury to the nib of the pen or oint of the pencil, likewise to enlarge yet further the utility of the implement, the ends of such hollow ruler may be stopped by plugs (c) of india rubber the one or both of which may project and is fitted so as to be capable of being withdrawn to admit of the removal of the pen or pencil and so that said rubber plug may be used as an eraser. rIhe plugs however need only be faced with rubber, or wherev only one of them is designed to withdraw and to act as an eraser, the other may be of any suitable material or construction presenting a soft inner end to protect the point of the pen or pencil as before specified. In this way many necessary articles used by clerks and others may be combined in the one implement for portable use in a small space or compass and compact shape or form.

Having now described my invention, I claim- A combined paper cutter and ruler having for its peculiar characteristic a paper cutting or tearing blade and, on the opposite edge of the implement to that which forms the cutting edge, a raised and round or round edged ruler made either hollow or solid substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification before two subscribing witnesses.

F. E. OLIVER. Witnesses:

JAMES CUTHELL, ROBERT M. STREBEIGH. 

